Mozambique joined other world governments at the 2021 United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021
Speaking at the United Nations Conference, the Prime Minister of Mozambique Carlos Agostinho do Rosário committed the country to achieving 62% of energy from renewable resources by 2030.
One of the matters under discussion is the transition away from fossil fuels. Under the Paris Agreement coal should cease to be used as a fuel by 2050. Mozambique possesses major coal deposits, and just two decades ago, it was expected that coal would be a major driver of Mozambican development.
“It is a priority for Mozambique to implement an energy transition program based on a diversified matrix, with cleaner and more environmentally friendly sources, in line with our country’s development programs,” the prime minister said, indicating investment in hydroelectric, solar and wind power.
However, transitioning away from energy based on fossil sources entails costs, and must be a phased process.
“Mozambique prefers an energy transition to cleaner and more environmentally friendly energies that is gradual and phased, in order to minimize the impact on the process of economic development in our country,” explained the Prime Minister.
In this sense, the country intends to make the energy transition process via natural gas, even though it is considered non-environmentally friendly, a decision influenced by the discoveries of great qualities of this resource in the national territory.
“Mozambique proposes to use natural gas as a transition to cleaner energy sources,” and with that, Carlos Agostinho do Rosário guaranteed that the country will do everything to “reach, by the year 2030, the levels of 62% of the contribution of renewable energies in the national energy matrix within the scope of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Reference: https://allafrica.com/stories/202111120052.html
On 11th November 2021 the TSE4ALLM project team made a field visit to Shine Water & Serviços LDA (SWS), the first recipient of the BCI SUPER credit line for the financing of renewable energy systems in Mozambique. The visit made 2 weeks after the disbursement of funds to the beneficiary was guided by the following objectives;
1.Soliciting beneficiaries’ views about their past experiences of access to water using the electric powered system
2.Identifying the social-economic benefits of the SWS to the communities through the lens of the beneficiaries
3.Understanding the challenges ahead and the next steps for ensuring effective implementation of the recently funded project
4.Providing media coverage of the SWS story
Beneficiaries views about the coming project
The project team obtained responses from the SWS beneficiary groups including community leader, project implementers, system technicians, and water consumers/clients.
Since inception in 2008, the Shine Water project has grown from supplying 20 customers to over 100 to date. According to the company’s CEO the solar powered supply systems will expand the reach to the communities of over 500 clients. “Currently we have 1 tank at the site but with the Solar system in place, we shall be able to install 4 water tanks of 10,000 litres powered by a solar system of approximately 5kW installed capacity” –Mr. Aly Mussagy, CEO
In the past the company solely depended on a water supply system powered by the utility grid which often resulted in various challenges including limited supply of water caused by frequent disruptions of electricity supply, high operational costs, and equipment failures caused by the instability of the electrical grid. “We used to receive water only twice a day but we hope this will change with the adoption of another system that does not only depend of electricity, we hope to receive water 24 hours a day”, Informed one of the female SWS clients.
Prospective socio-economic benefits of the solar-powered water supply system
Besides supply water to households, the Shine Water solar powered water supply system will expand its current reach to cover health centres, schools, construction brick laying sites, and subsistence horticultural gardens. According to community members, most residents of FAO/Nhumbane locality (90% women) depend on the income generated from the selling of vegetables and fruits produced from their subsistence gardens and reliable 24 hours per day water supply is necessary for increased productivity, and thus more income generation.
Challenges ahead and steps toward effective implementation
The coming into force of the National Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy implemented by FIPAG (the Water Supply Investment and Property Fund) that requires that all habitants should only depend on the public water supply is a potential threat to services of private entities like Shine Water LDA. “As we speak almost all households including our clients have been added to the FIPAG water supply network, we hope that a solution can be found to keep private suppliers in the supply chain” – Shine Water LDA system technician
Despite the challenges ahead, Shine Water & Serviços LDA, continues to remain at the forefront in providing a reliable solution to the water supply related challenges that the of FAO/Nhumbane community faces. “In a month’s period we shall have a fully-fledged solar powered water supply system installed and more clients accessing water 24 hours a day” Mr. Aly Mussagy- CEO Shine Water, LDA
Media coverage of the Shine Water disbursement story
The story for the disbursement to Shine Water was covered in 2 media houses namely;
•The office of the Prime Minister Information department (Jornal de Moçambique) --- 15/10
•Jornal Noticias- 13/10
•Diário de Moçambique -26/10
The Towards Sustainable Energy for All, Mozambique (TSE4ALLM) project was part of the 56th edition of the Maputo International Fair (FACIM) which was held from August 30 until September 5th at the institution’s premises in Ricatla, Marracuene district, Maputo province. The fair, which is the largest showcase of the country’s products and economic potential brought together 122 exhibitors Under the theme “Industrialization, Innovation and Diversification of the National Economy”.
Hosted by APIEX, The Investment and Export Promotion Agency of Mozambique, TSE4LLM project representatives from UNIDO, FUNAE and BCI bank seized the opportunity to raise awareness about the BCI SUPER credit line and sharing generic technical requirements that must be included in the proposals submitted by the potential beneficiaries. The public had the opportunity to receive clarity about certain aspects related to access to the investment capital provided by the BCI-SUPER credit line
On 20th September the Government of Mozambique approved, in the Council of Ministers by Decree, the Regulation for Access to Energy in Off-Grid Areas. This regulation comes as a result of Government efforts that recognize the importance of the energy sector in catalyzing rural socio-economic development, leveraging private sector investment, and improving the conditions of millions of people.
“The approval of the regulations is timely! It is an instrument that will change the energy sector as the whole society is awakening and realizing the potential of energy for the whole country and at the same time a great incentive for the private sector in terms of boosting the generation and distribution of energy” - Vicente Matsinhe, National Coordinator,TSE4ALLM project
Read more here>>>> https://amer.org.mz/11633/
The Towards Sustainable Energy for All- Mozambique (TSE4ALLM) project applauds the government’s bold decision to approve the regulations as step toward ensuring universal access to electricity by 2030. The project continues to support the market-based adoption of integrated renewable energy systems by advocating for a conducive policy and regulatory environment that promotes the involvement of the private sector in the development of integrated Renewable Energy systems for rural areas.
“The solar powered community tablet brings information in image and digital format to remote communities where the population does not have access electric power, television, and internet” - Mestre Mario Moises Fonseca-UEM
The Pilot project on health promotion and awareness about the measures to prevent the COVID19 pandemic in rural areas using ICTs is an initiative of Kamaleon technology in partnership with the provincial health directorate and final year students of psychology and anthropology at Eduardo Mondlane University as part of a communal strategy to disseminate information and educate the masses about COVID19 preventive measures
Reaching out to rural communities, the initiative’s main purpose is to disseminate information about COVID 19 using a solar powered community tablet, a mechanism which aims at promoting digital literacy and civic education campaigns in communities believing that the use of ICTs and digital content can allow quick and effective dissemination of information
In the pilot phase alone, communities 320 people in the districts of Matutuine, Moamba, and Magude particularly those located far from the headquarters were reached. The campaign was vital in understanding the level of knowledge that remote communities have about the COVID19 pandemic and disseminating health promotion messages and COVID 19 preventive measures using the community tablet. Besides, clarification about the disease, ways of transmission, and preventive measures were made.
The COVID19 education digital campaign makes use of a solar powered giant community tablet to display videos with information about the pandemic whose contents were approved by the Maputo Province Executive Board (Maputo Province Health Directorate). During the campaigns the health team explains to participants who are placed in groups of 20 with a distance 1.5 metres from each other about how to use the tablet to obtain information about the pandemic. Activities conducted also include; demonstration of the correct way to wash hands, showing videos in Portuguese and the local language (Ronga) about COVID 19, and the distribution of homemade fabric masks
“The communities received the initiative with satisfaction because they received more information about the pandemic, its signs, symptoms, and means of prevention, as well as examples of the right way to wash hand”
Consequently, the community tablet was recognized as an asset to support the most disadvantaged communities owing to its ability to mitigate the spread of COVID 19 in the marginalized communities using solar powered technology.
“We recommend the use of the solar powered community tablet for other awareness activities in the health sector such as conducting mobile brigades, breast and cervical cancer screening, offering family planning methods information services, and the management and logistics of vaccines from a cold chain and the use of inbuilt facilities for interactivity such as online consultations and registration. ”----- Provincial Health Director, Dr. Daniel Arlindo Chemane, General Practitioner.